Moray Eels

What do moray eels look like? How do they behave? What do you need to know about Moray Eels?

What do they look like?
Moray eels are feared creatures, both by other fish and by humans. They have long, thin bodies, like most eels, and they come in a wide array of bright colors, although they typically have orange, black, and white hues. These animals are generally orange with white spots all across their bodies, ranging in different sizes. These white spots are outlined in black. Moray eels have long fins on their backs that help portray them as predators. But it's their mouths that make them look down-right mean. These creatures have two small fleshy horns on top of their snouts between their eyes that are spotted like the rest of their bodies. And their teeth can be quite sharp. They have about 16 fangs on each jaw on the insides of their mouths, and they have been known to open their mouths quite widely.

How do they behave?
These animals are known for being mean creatures, but many scientists insist that is just because they look mean. When a moray eel bites a human hand, it's generally just a reaction to having a hand coming toward them, rather than an act of shear meanness.

What else should you know about Moray eels?
One bizarre phenomenon occurring in moral eels is that all moray eels are born as males. They spend several years as males, and they even mate with the older females, before changing genders and spending the remainder of their lives as females.